Serena Williams has withdrawn from her second consecutive tournament, after announcing she will miss next week’s Qatar Open because of the flu. The number one-ranked Williams pulled out of this week’s Dubai Tennis Championships on Saturday, also citing illness. “I have come down with the flu and do not feel 100% and I need to take this time to recover,” said the American. Williams last played in the Australian Open final, losing to Angelique Kerber.
The chief executive of Athletics Kenya wants to step down temporarily amid allegations he asked athletes for bribes to reduce doping bans. Isaac Mwangi denies wrongdoing but wants to leave his post for 21 days while world governing body the IAAF investigates the claims. The World Anti-Doping Agency said it was “most disturbed” by the claims. “The allegations have caused me a lot of mental anguish,” Mwangi said in a letter to Athletics Kenya. “I am anxious to have my name cleared.”
Former Ivory Coast boss Herve Renard has been appointed as the new coach of Morocco to replace Badou Zaki. Renard led Ivory Coast to the Africa Cup of Nations title in 2015, three years after winning it with Zambia. After his Nations Cup victory with the Elephants Renard left to take over at French club Lille in May but was sacked in November. Zaki left as coach of the Atlas Lions by mutual consent on 10 February. Renard’s first competitive games with Morocco will be home and away 2017 Nations Cup qualifiers against Cape Verde at the end of March. The two sides are currently top of Group F having won both their matches so far, Libya and Sao Tome are the other teams in the pool. The Atlas Lions have also progressed to the final round of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.
Tuesday 16 February, 2016:
Benfica vs Zenit 08:45pm
Paris St Germain vs Chelsea 08:45pm
Wednesday 17 February, 2016:
KAA Gent vs VfL Wolfsburg 08:45pm
Roma vs Real Madrid 08:45pm
Australia’s top goalscorer Tim Cahill has had his contract terminated by Chinese club Shanghai Greenland Shenhua a year after he joined. The 36-year-old former Everton star agreed to extend his stay just months ago, but said on Instagram: “I’m very sorry to announce that I have reached an agreement with Shanghai Shenhua to terminate my contract. I’m not part of the new coach Manzano’s plans for the 2016 season.” Cahill, one of the biggest foreign names in the Chinese Super League, said he was “very sad”, adding: “Regardless of whether my contract is being honoured and paid out in full, I would much rather have seen it out.”
West Ham striker Nikica Jelavic has joined Chinese second division side Beijing Renhe for about £2m. The 30-year-old Croatia international has made one Premier League start this season under compatriot Slaven Bilic. He follows Chelsea’s Ramires, who joined Jiangsu Suning for £25m last month, while striker Jackson Martinez joined Guangzhou Evergrande for £31m. The Colombian left Atletico Madrid for the Chinese Super League side, breaking the Asian transfer record. Jelavic signed for West Ham for £3m from Hull in August 2015, but has scored only once in the league despite making 12 appearances from the bench. He previously played for Everton and Rangers.
A court in Brazil has frozen assets of football star Neymar. The federal court in Sao Paulo announced it was issuing warrants to freeze almost $50m worth of assets belonging to the Brazil and Barcelona striker. They include a yacht, a jet and several properties. Neymar, 23, is accused of tax evasion between 2011 and 2013 and faces legal proceedings. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Sunday 14 February, 2016:
Arsenal 2 – 1 Leicester
Aston Villa 0 – 6 Liverpool
Man City 1 – 2 Tottenham
Nigeria striker Obafemi Martins has joined Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua in a multi-million dollar deal, BBC Sport can reveal. The 31-year-old makes the switch from Seattle Sounders, where he scored 43 goals in 84 appearances for the MLS club he joined in March 2013. Martins, who joins Senegalese striker Demba Ba at the Shanghai club, becomes the latest high-profile player to make the switch to the cash-rich Super League. Martins burst into the international limelight at Italian side Inter Milan before switching to Newcastle in August 2006. He scored 35 goals in his three seasons with the Magpies. The striker, who has also had spells in Germany, Russia and Spain, will be remembered for scoring Birmingham City’s winner in their 2-1 Carling Cup final victory over Arsenal in 2011 – the club’s first silverware since 1963. He has scored 18 goals in 41 international appearances for three-time African champions Nigeria and was voted Africa’s most promising talent in 2003 and 2004.
Saturday 13 February, 2016:
Sunderland 2 – 1 Man Utd
Bournemouth 1 – 3 Stoke
Crystal Palace 1 – 2 Watford
Everton 0 – 1 West Brom
Norwich 2 – 2 West Ham
Swansea 0 – 1 Southampton
Chelsea 5 – 1 Newcastle
Claudio Ranieri has refuted Arsene Wenger’s claims that the Leicester manager has never beaten his Arsenal side, reminding the Frenchman of Chelsea’s Champions League defeat of their London rivals back in 2004. Wayne Bridge scored a late winner to send Chelsea, who Ranieri managed from 2000-04, through to the semi-finals to face a Monaco side that eventually finished runners-up to champions Porto. Wenger’s remark came as his Arsenal side prepare to welcome Leicester to the Emirates at the weekend, a game that the Gunners will be aiming to win to close the gap on the league leaders. And Ranieri admitted he will remind Wenger of his victory nearly 12 years ago before kick-off on Super Sunday. “The last time I met him I won 2-1 in the Champions League quarter-final with Chelsea,” he said. “He forgot, but I remember. “I will tell him on Sunday. I remember what I want to remember.”
Former FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke has been banned from all football-related activity for 12 years. The decision has been made by FIFA’s independent ethics committee following allegations of potential misconduct related to sales of World Cup tickets. Valcke has also been fined 100,000 Swiss francs. A statement from FIFA’s Ethics Committee said: “The adjudicatory chamber found that a sports marketing firm had gained an undue advantage from the selling of World Cup tickets. Not only did Mr Valcke do nothing to stop these activities, he encouraged the persons responsible to do so.” The statement added that Valcke had “travelled at FIFA’s expense purely for sightseeing reasons” and by doing so had “acted against FIFA’s best interests and caused considerable financial damage to FIFA”.
Italy’s World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro has been sacked as manager of Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr after just four months in charge. Cannavaro won six of 14 games as boss, and leaves the defending champions sixth in the Saudi Pro League, 18 points behind leaders Al Hilal. It was his second managerial role after a seven-month spell at Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande. Ex-defender Cannavaro, 42, led Italy to a fifth World Cup triumph in 2006. In his club career he played most notably for Parma, Juventus and Real Madrid. He won the UEFA Cup and two Coppa Italia trophies with Parma, while also collecting two La Liga titles while at Madrid and the 2006 Ballon d’Or.
Hoffenheim have made Julian Nagelsmann the youngest manager in German Bundesliga history after appointing the 28-year-old as their new manager. The under-19s coach succeeds Huub Stevens, 62, who resigned on Wednesday because of ill health. Nagelsmann was due to take charge next season but will now manage the league strugglers with immediate effect following “intensive talks”. He has signed a three-year deal with the club through to June 2019. Hoffenheim are currently five points off the relegation play-off place and seven points from safety. What a bold step! Nigeria’s Chinedu Obasi once played for Hoffenheim.
Chelsea striker Diego Costa has suffered a broken nose but remains in contention to face Newcastle on Saturday. Costa suffered the injury while challenging for a header with an academy player, who was brought in to train with the first team, according to Blues manager Guus Hiddink. The 27-year-old Spain international will be fitted with a mask and return to light training later on Friday before meeting up with his team-mates ahead of Saturday’s game against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge.
Lionel Messi has been named Spain’s La Liga Player of the Month for January – the first time he has won the monthly award. The award has been given out since the beginning of the 2013/14 Primera Division season, but the five-time FIFA Ballon d’Or winner had not won it until now. The Barcelona forward finally came out on top at the 23rd time of asking, after scoring six goals in as many league games in January. Messi struck a hat-trick against Granada as well as scoring in victories over Athletic Bilbao, Malaga and Atletico Madrid to take his total of league goals for the season to 12. Remarkably, Messi is only the second Barcelona player to win the award, following Neymar’s success in November. Cristiano Ronaldo has landed the gong twice since it began in September 2013, as have Atletico pair Diego Godin and Antoine Griezmann and Real Sociedad striker Carlos Vela.
Ex-Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboue is training with Sunderland in a a bid to prove his fitness and earn a contract with the Black Cats. The former Arsenal right-back is a free agent after being released by Turkish side Galatasaray last summer, and is currently training with the Black Cats. Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce was looking to recruit a right-back in the January transfer window to provide competition for Billy Jones and the inexperienced on-loan Spurs man DeAndre Yedlin, but a loan move for Arsenal’s ex-Newcastle United defender Mathieu Debuchy fell through. And now Big Sam is running the rule over 32-year-old Ivory Coast international Eboue as he continues to looks to strengthen in that area. “It’s a possibility,” he said.
West Ham midfielder Dimitri Payet has signed a new five-and-a-half year contract. The 28-year-old joined the club in the summer from French side Marseille in a deal worth more than £10m. The France international has excelled this season, scoring six goals in 22 appearances to help the Hammers to sixth in the Premier League. The new deal – replacing Payet’s previous five-year contract – lasts until summer 2012. Hammers co-owner David Sullivan recently described Payet as the “signing of the season”. “He’s the best player I’ve signed in 25 years,” said the 67-year-old. “He’s a £30m player. He’s a supreme footballer. He makes every player in our side play better. “On his day, he’s world class, he’s unstoppable.”
Adam Johnson has been sacked by Sunderland after pleading guilty to one count of sexual activity with a child and one charge of grooming. The 28-year-old footballer’s contract was terminated hours after he was dropped for Saturday’s Premier League match against Manchester United. He will stand trial on Friday on two further counts of sexual activity with a child, which he denies. Sportswear firm Adidas has cancelled its contract with the midfielder. After Johnson’s arrest in March 2015, the club suspended him, but then lifted the ban following talks with his representatives and the Professional Footballers’ Association.
Stoke striker Bojan Krkić has signed a new four-and-a-half year contract with the club, keeping him with the Potters until the summer of 2020. Bojan began his career at Barcelona after progressing through the youth ranks at La Masia. His early promise saw him make his first-team debut at the age of 17 years and 19 days, breaking the record set by Lionel Messi. Last season, Bojan suffered a serious knee injury, from which he has recovered.
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